Forecast uncertain for jittery tourism industry

Last year’s busy hurricane season is just a memory now, but tourism officials hope it doesn’t stay on the minds of this year’s potential visitors.

The county’s buildings, beaches and roads are nearly all repaired, but it may take longer to restore the reputation of the area as a destination spot during hurricane season, local officials fear.

Tourism officials will be watching the market closely this year to determine if the back-to-back devastating hurricane seasons keep travelers away, said Nancy Hamilton, spokeswoman for the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau.

“It definitely affects out-of-state travelers, especially the ones that don’t normally deal with hurricanes,” Hamilton said. “This summer will be the test to see if that’s carried over.”

The late arrival of Easter helped start the summer off strong, she said. But the number of visitors to Lee County in January and February was down, which could be because of last year’s hurricane season, as well as high gas prices and the environmental effects of Lake Okeechobee releases on the area’s beaches, according to a report prepared for Lee County by Research Data Services.

At the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Estero, advance bookings for June and July are up compared to last year, said Joe Murgalo, general manager for the resort. But September and October bookings are slightly behind pace compared to 2005.

However, that could be because Hurricane Wilma actually increased business in October at the Hyatt last year, Murgalo said. While other hotels had to close for extended periods of time, the Hyatt remained open.

Many of Lee County’s summer visitors are from Florida and have a better understanding of storms, Hamilton said.

However, the county also draws a lot of corporate groups and conventions during hurricane season, she said.

Those groups could lose a lot of money if a hurricane canceled their events.

To keep groups booking trips during hurricane season, Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism marketing agency, began offering trip insurance last year.

Events with a minimum of 100 room nights during a two-night period can qualify for up to $200,000 of free insurance to cover cancellation fees.

“When we did our research after the 2000 season, meeting planners said, ‘We want to have a meeting in Florida, but what if we have to reschedule?’ “ said Vanessa Welter, communications director for Visit Florida.

Welter’s agency projected a 3.2 percent increase in tourism in Florida for 2006. The state broke several records over the past several years with 7 percent increases, she said.

However, given the state’s reputation after two busy hurricane seasons, the agency is being conservative, Welter said.

So far, this year’s first quarter tourism numbers were flat compared to last year, she said.

Visit Florida attributes some of that to this year’s unseasonably temperate winter in the north, which caused less interest in warm-weather vacations, Welter said. But she’s not discounting the hurricane effect.

“We recognize that after two years of Atlantic hurricane seasons ... there may be lingering incorrect perceptions about hurricane season, which may dampen some choices,” Welter said.

To lure more groups to the area during summer months, the Hyatt offers incentives and packages such as cheaper rates and upgrades, Murgalo said.

The resort also advertises a little more during the summer.

Still, Murgalo and other tourism officials know the industry is one big storm away from a major setback.

“One storm can cause problems,” Hamilton said. “It’s a very delicate situation.”

Murgalo is staying positive.

“November and December look fantastic, and when we look at the year, it’s going to be tremendous,” he said. “Provided we don’t get any major events, which I predict we won’t.”